Naivety

Just wondering if anyone was as niave as i was last year believing that i could start saving for my contiki 2 weeks before i had to put a deposit down ?? I know Naive right? <BR><BR>What I wondering is, am i being Naive this year? I'm not going on tour until October 08, Putting down a deposit this sunday at the flight centre expo. Got alot more money this year. The only thing is I've got to save $300.00/week for my trip next yr, which means working 2 jobs every week day, which i have been doing for the last month now. <BR><BR>I'm working myself into the ground, working 12 hrs a day. I actually have a really good full time job that pays good money, but i got myself into a bit of debt when i bought my new car last yr which means to make the $300.00/week I've gotta work 2 jobs. Am i being naive that I'm going to be able to keep this up for the next 47 weeks (that's how long i've got until i leave for my trip) <BR><BR>Megz <BR><BR><img src="http://connect.contiki.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="Smiler" width="15" height="15"><!--graemlin::)-->

Hey Megz, don’t worry i know the feeling.I’m planning on booking this weekend too. I’m working two jobs and trying saving as much as you, hard, but will DEF be worth it. It’s hard since i’m a spendaholic, What tour are you planning on going on?

I am in the same boat you are. I was saving $300USD/wk this summer, and I tried to work two jobs while taking full time classes this year at school but I couldnt do it. So instead of having like $8,000 for my tour im going to have $5,600 or so (That includes the tour cost as well). I think you should be ok as long as youre overbudgetting. That way you can get back with money left over.

oh **..this made me come back down to earth, i am thiking of going on the june/july european contrasts and was going to book in a couple of weeeks and gradually pay it off, i have no savings at the mo but will be working full time and will be earning at least $750 a week and pretty much all of that will be going towards saving, if worst comes to worst then i can get a loan just before i head off overseas cos i have no debts at the moment….is this realistic????

I worked 14 months night shift in the job i am currently in and i got back to days in March this yr & I am not going back to nights ever again. Plus like i said I’m getting good money there (over the $700/week a/t), because i work for a company that keeps the mining industry on its feet all over the world. ( We kind of have the market cornered )

The second job incase anyone wondering is babysitting. Tax Free Just incase anyone is interested in this sort of thing(here comes the plug) go to www.findababysitter.com.au – I got work the first day i posted my profile, and it works all over Australia. I have about 7 families i work for now (not all at once) but one i work for everyday after my normal job from 4-6pm week days (hence the 12 hr days)

Anyway sorry got off the beaten track.

I do think it is worth it – even when i am tired and grumpy and the last thing i want to do is look after screaming children – but it is only for another 47 weeks.

I think it will be tough, but doable. I would be really careful about the things you spend money on now, incase you need a little extra in the meantime or want to take a couple days off. Also, think about asking for money for your trip on the holidays/birthday, or at least some gifts that you can use on your trip.

It is doable, and like the others have said you can always get a small loan. I’ve been paying for my tour since April this year straight to the travel agent who held it for me, cause i suck at saving and if i hadn’t done that I would have beeen in trouble. I feel your pain. I’ve decided to move back home for the next 6 months to save more money, cause the rent’s cheaper and i don’t all those pesky bills. But $30o a week is every doable, you have a year. Just think positive. And with christmas coming see if you can talk people into paying the more expensive item for your trip :P

hey praha my job isnt fly in fly out. i am a lab technician. i digest the samples sent from the mines. anyways, megan i think 300 pw is good and youll be surprised how quick it will add up. like i sed i am saving 600 a week but thats for me and my bf and that will get us 4 weeks in europe and 5 nights singapore. i am not worried we will run out of money. if i have to i will use my credit card but im confident i wont need to. we are going in may and so far only have a few hundred spending money. we are asking family for money for our xmas pressies to help us out abit.

haha so many things you say i know what it is but ive only been doing the lab work for a few months. i was doing the alcan sivving and then weighing. i have done the ar (aqua regia) but i mostly do bombs (microwave digests) and mixed acid digests. i dont think females can do fire assay cos of the lead content. my partner is in sample prep in charge of the robots repairing them. i know exactly what you mean by the speed and numbers game. we have to get a set number weighed/digested per shift and if we dont they go mad. then if we add the wrong acids cos were working too fast they also go mad… cant win! what exactly do you do??

Just thought I should tell you that everything is all good. Booked my trip at expo, Got an awesome singapore airlines flight ($1674 inc tax) paid it in full. Plus the deposit for contiki. So that’s about $2000 paid off already.

I do think you have to be realistic tho. If your just starting to pay your tour/flight off now and only put deposits down and have no savings, the likelyhood of you going is not good. Trust me I know, i did it last yr. And I believed it could work but it just couldn’t.

Lana_Sydney just remember that you have to have everything paid for 45 days before you leave, and if your going in June, you have to have it paid for start of April. Thats about 4.5 months away so say 18 weeks, contrasts is about 3800 inc food fund, plus flight of about $2200 at cheapest coz your going in the high season which = 6000/18 weeks = $333/week. This doesn’t include insurance (which is compulsary), or spending money.

Sometimes it’s best to put off a trip for a yr, in order to do the trip the way you want. And not wondering if you are going to have enough money for dinner (like a story i read about in a book – Rule no: 5 no sex on the bus) It’s not the best idea for a trip of a lifetime.